Presby Church wades into voters’ register

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) has officially waded into the ongoing voters’ register debate that has taken centre stage in recent national discourse, asking the Electoral Commission (EC) not to take the issue for granted.

The church said: “We call on the Electoral Commission to, as a matter of urgency, put in place the necessary measures to sanitise the contentious Voters’ Register, even if that will mean a compilation of a new one.”

The call was contained in a communiqué issued by the church yesterday in Accra after its 2015 General Assembly held at Abetifi-Kwahu in the Eastern Region from the 14th to 20th of August under the theme, “Anointing of the Holy Spirit.”

The said communiqué was on matters of relevance and interest to both the church and the state for national consideration, with the aim of helping to advance the growth agenda of the country.

The Moderator of General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Emmanuel Martey, who issued the communiqué to the media at the church’s headquarters, observed that for the elections in 2016 to be accepted by all Ghanaians as credible, there was the urgent need for the EC to heed the calls of opposition political parties, particularly the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and Civil Society to undertake necessary reforms as advised by the Supreme Court during the 2012 Election Petition ruling.

“With 2016 being an election year, General Assembly urges the Electoral Commission to pay heed to the numerous calls by the various political parties and civil society organisations to undertake the necessary reforms as advised by the Supreme Court in its 2013 ruling,” he admonished.

The NPP, other opposition parties and civil society have been pushing for the compilation of a new voters’ register, alleging that the current register is bloated.

The largest opposition party in its recent exposé led by its 2016 Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, was able to reveal that some 80,000 foreigners, mostly Togolese, were captured on Ghana’s Voters’ Register.

The moderator asked that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, which has been putting up strong opposition to the calls for the compilation of a new voters’ register, should cooperate with the EC by providing the needed resources to enable the Commission effect the necessary reforms.

This, he noted, would “make the outcome of the exercise generally acceptable to all stakeholders.”

Bribery And Corruption

The church expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the President John Mahama-led administration has handled corruption and bribery cases within the public sector.

Rt Rev Prof Martey, without mincing words, stated that government has been seriously weak in prosecuting corruption cases.

“We are still not impressed about how government is handling cases that have so far surfaced. We expect government to be strong on offenders and take prompt and decisive action, instead of treating them with kid gloves and thereby raising doubts over its sincerity in dealing with corruption,” he stated.

The church’s call comes barely a day after some 34 top judges within the country’s judicial setting were reportedly caught red-handed trading justice for cash.

Rt Rev Prof Martey, in suggesting measures to arrest the corruption canker negatively affecting the progress of the country, stressed the need for all well-meaning Ghanaians to join hands and uproot the canker of bribery and corruption as well as what he described as the “emerging monecracy which is disturbing our democracy.”

State Of The Nation

On the state of the nation, the PCG commended the Mahama-led administration for steering the affairs of the state.

However, the church expressed worry that Ghana’s economy under the current regime continues to be managed poorly, with no end in sight to the problem.

“We are, however, worried about the poor state of the economy which has pushed the government to seek refuge in the arms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).”

The church complained bitterly about the persistent decline of the nation’s currency and the energy crisis that continues to bite the state, throwing many companies out of business overnight.

“As a church concerned with the welfare and well-being of the citizenry, we would plead with the government to initiate measures that will cushion the people from the harsh cost of living,” the communiqué added.

Same-Sex Marriage

The church also condemned same-sex marriage, describing it as “a perversion that conflicts with the Word of God.”

It therefore cautioned the Government of Ghana to tread cautiously in handling the issue of same-sex marriage.

The PCG urged other religious bodies to rise against any attempt to legalise same-sex marriage in the country, saying religious leaders must understand that their aim is to always please God and not humans.